Jesus de Montreal / Jesus of Montreal (1989) DVD9

This provocative movie places the Gospel story in the midst of the contemporary world, suggesting parallels to events in the life of Christ with what happens to the dedicated young actor.
The plot of this film begins with Father Leclerc (Gilles Pelletier), Catholic priest who has been staging Passion Play in Montreal Catholic Sanctuary for almost four decades. Knowing that the times have changed and that the old-fashioned production needs refreshing, he hires young, talented but relatively unknown actor Daniel Coulombe (Lothaire Bluteau) to stage new, more modern version. Coulombe takes this job very seriously - he hires small troupe made out of mostly young or unemployed actors and actresses, while taking the role of Jesus for himself. In order to make his portrayal as realistic and convincing as possible, he spends a lot of time in historical research of Jesus and his times, and that research includes some new and controversial findings that would find its place in the new text of the play. When this modern, innovative and effective production premiers in front of the audience, the result is theatrical triumph, but Daniel and his colleagues have little time to celebrate because Church authorities aren't very enthusiastic about questionable content. When Father Leclerc demands that some alterations be made in the text, Daniel and his actors decide to defend their artistic integrity but their stand would have tragic consequences.